Long time British Columbian politician Alex Fraser is often credited with the quip: “A good campaign promise should last several elections.”
That appears to be the case with Prince George’s much-vaunted and hoped-for surgical tower.
The promise of a surgical tower for Prince George was first unveiled by Liberal MLAs Shirley Bond and Mike Morris on the eve of the 2017 election. The Liberals didn’t win that election and the project fell to the newly-elected NDP government which, a day before the 2020 election call, announced the project had its concept plan approved, which means $600-700 million has been allocated for the project.
Flash-forward to 2024 and the tower has yet to receive final approval. However, it is back on the election calendar.
BC United (formerly the BC Liberals) leader Kevin Falcon has pledged that, if elected, a BC United government will fund significant upgrades and new programs for the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC), including the tower.
“Northern B.C. has unique healthcare needs, and our commitment is to make UHNBC a state-of-the-art facility,” said Falcon, in a news release. “This includes immediately beginning construction on a new patient care tower, complete with a cutting-edge cardiac care unit and a helipad to enhance emergency responses.”
He pledged a BC United government would:
- Build the Tower Now: Immediately build a new patient care tower at UHNBC with a state-of-the-art cardiac care unit and helipad.
- Develop a Healthcare Strategy for the North: Deliver a comprehensive healthcare resource strategy that addresses existing gaps, creates new program offerings, removes barriers to training and education, and delivers new training spaces and partnerships, such as additional speech-language pathology program seats and other important allied health training programs to meet the demands of healthcare in the North now and into the future.
“By advancing our healthcare infrastructure and programs, we ensure residents receive top-level care right here in Prince George, without the need to travel far,” said Prince George-Valemount MLA and BC United Health critic Shirley Bond.
One thought on “PG surgical tower a ballot box issue … again”
I’ve always respected Bills insight but not always agreed with it. Yes we do need a surgical tower and have needed it for 15 years. But do we need the Heli pad which will add millions of dollars to the costs and at what savings. Everyone is loosing sight of the fact that 40% of the cost of this expansion is on the backs of local property owners. Back in the Vanderzam rule the Province passed legislation that would see Health Districts established. Ours is the same as the Regional District Fraser Ft George. The significance of that is any expansion of the hospital will require that 40% of the funding will come from RD property owners. I am not confident that anyone has a real handle on what the real costs will be. Look at the treatment plant in Vancouver estimated at around 1 Billion is now almost 4 billion. Originally the hospital expansion was estimated at around 800 million and some work has already been done. What is the total costs? How much more do we want added on? Why can’t some of that federal transfer money be applied to our 40% share?
Politicians love to jump on this band wagon and promise the moon but in the end it’s local taxpayers that get the shaft. May I suggest Bill that when politicians make a promise ask them directly how that promise will be funded.